Improvement in station-indicators



L'. NELKE.

STATION INDICATOR.

No. 109.751. Patented Nov. 29, 1870.

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that offra lLOUIS NELKE, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Lettere Peten; Ne. 109,751, aerea November Acenno.

IMPROVEMENT IN STATIQN-INDICATORS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all wh-om it may concern:

Be it known thatI, Lours NELKE, of Chicago, in the county -of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain Improvements in Station-Indicator of which the following is a specification, reference vbeving had to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to that class of vs tatio1i -'indi cators m which a series of namepiates are mounted in a box, and so connected with a protuding lever or pull, than, by' operating the latter, the plates are 'brought in succession opposite an opening in the front of the box;- and The object of the invention is to simplify the mechanism and so arrange the parts that 'a'large' number of names can be placed in a small box.

The apparatus consists of two parallelv horizontal rolls carrying two parallel endless chains, which latter have thc plates suspended between them by journals; the journal of each plate has a cam or lip attachcd to it, which, as the plate approaches the opening, strikes against a stationary guard and turns the plate up in position; and -the end of one of thel rollers has attached to ita ratchet-wheel and lever, which latter serves both as a means for operating the apparatus and to strike a bell for calling attention when a change is made.

Figure l is a perspective view of my indicator Figure 2 is a section of the sameon the line :r a; of fig. 3; and

Figure 3 is a section on the line j] y of fig. 2.

I construct the box or body A of my indicator of the form shown, with an opening, a, in its lower front corner.

Across the interior of this box I mount two parallel horizontal shafts, B B, one in the rear end, and the other in the front vend just above the opening a, and on the ends of each shaft I secure wheels b having notches c in their peripherics, as in 6g. 2.

I next provide a number of rods d, and mount on their endsat links c, so as to form two parallel endless cha-ins, connected by rods, the ends of the rods serving as pivotsto connect the links, and projecting lighgtly on the outer sides of the same. as shown in lhese chains I mount in the box around the .two

shafts, B, .with the projecting ends of the rodsdresting iu the notches c in wheels b, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, so that as either lshaft is turned the chains are carried around. j

To each alternate rod d, I secure rigidly one edge of a metal plate, D, having the name of a station on. its lace, so that as the chains are revolved the plates are carried in succession opposite and past the opening a.

'llo one journal of each plate I secure, outside'of the links, a metal block, o, which is concave ou one side; and to the inside of the box, around the front shaft, I secure a. metal guard or plate, f, the outer face of which is concentric with the shaft.

As each -plate I) approaches the opening a, the

block or the journal of the plate is brought with its concaveface against the outside of the guard f; and the. name-plate thereby turned and held so as 'to be in a vertical position when opposite the opening.

. In this manner the plates are brought to and' held in the proper position no matter in which direction the chains are turned, so that by no possibil- .ity can the plate `become turned or otherwise disarran'ged. v l l I also secure in the box two inwardlyfpiojecting pins, g' and lz, one in the-'top and the otherI in the bottom,v for the purpose of turning the plates as they revolve,.so that the blocks o are brought in the proper position against the guard f.

Ihe end of the front shaft B I extend out through the side of'the box, Aanti provide it with a. fixed wheel, i, having notches injts periphery, and with a loose lever, having a reversible pawl, k, on its side, which'enga-ges in the notched wheel.

As the lever is operated, the pawl moves the wheel.' i, aud thereby the chains and name-plates.

By reversing the pawl the plates may be fedin either 4direct-ion, according .to the direction in which the train is traveling.

To the lower end of the leverj attach one end oi -a'spiral spring, my, to throw it back after having been operated.

To the top ofthe box I attach a bell, G, and to the end of lever j a hammer, l, so that each time the lever is operated to expose the name of the next station, the bell is struck to cali the attention of the passengers thereto.

.lhe lever may be operated by hand or by a pull,

or. a line may be passed the whole length of the train, and connected with the indicators in the dili'er- V ent cars, so. that by a single pull on the end of the line the conductor or engineer can operate the whole series of indicators in the train. l

'llhe indicator l is 'also applicable to street cars in cities, for 'showing the names of the differente streets.

Itis obvious that plates may be attached to all the rods d, by making the chain links of sufficient length to permit the application ofthe blocks ewithont interfering with each other. A

By this met-hed of construction I am able to pro duce a cheap, simple, and very compact indicator.

The manner of suspending the plates between chains enables me to placca much larger number of 2 name-plates in the same sized box than could be done connection. with the guide f, all substantially as de by any of the heretofore known plans. scribed;

Having thus described my invention. LOUIS NELKE.

What I claim is l The nemeplates D, secured to endless chains pass- Witnesses: ing around rollers 0,1;l1e journals of said plates lnw-V WM. H. Locnz, ing-blocks o attached, and arranged to operate in R. S.SMITH. 

